Re: Ammonia trick

["Robert Myers" <rmyers@inetone.net>]

Ammonia is a solution of ammonia (NH3) in water (H2O).  Rust is mainly Fe2O3.

Fe2O3 + 6 NH3 + 6 H2O ---->  2 Fe+++(NH3)6  + 6 OH-  

The iron(III)-ammonia complex ion is water soluble.  It sez here (in the
fine print) that ammonia should dissolve (or at least loosen) rust.  This
is definitely NOT a BTDT for me so I can't tell you from personal experience.

At 02:40 PM 1/29/98 EST, you wrote:
>Ah, another believer!  Can some one of you chem whizzes tell me why this
>works?  With so many skeptics, a little scientific explanation would go
>a long way.
>--Gary
>
>--REFERENCE----------------------------------------------------------------
----
>On Mon, 26 Jan 1998 08:14:14 =0800
>Gary G. Erickson  <erickson@teleport.com> said:
>
>Looking for wisdom from the list . . . yesterday I pulled the exhaust
>manifold off of an '87 MC motor and didn't have any broken studs except
>for the two that were already gone when I got there.
>
>(Yes, that ammonia trick really does work!)
>
>
___
   Bob
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